MLB Player News

Barnhart will split catching duties with Devin Mesoraco, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Manager Bryan Price says he expects Mesoraco to play no more than "50 to 60 percent on the front end of the season," which could spell good news for Barnhart. The young catcher failed to capitalize on his opportunities last season, slashing .257/.323/379 in 115 games behind the plate. Nonetheless, with Mesoraco easing back into catching activities, Barnhart should have further chances to impress in a part-time role.

Mesoraco will split primary catching duties with Tucker Barnhart, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The move is likely precautionary, as manager Bryan Price plans on not rushing Mesoraco into a heavy workload. "I don't think I would anticipate him playing more than 50-60 percent on the front end of the season," Price said. The 28-year-old catcher has played a total of 39 games over the last two seasons while dealing with a slew of injuries. Unless circumstances change, don't presume Mesoraco as an everyday player right away.

Realmuto is expected to see some action at first base in 2017, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

He'll still be the Marlins' primary catcher, but if the team elects to carry an extra arm in their bullpen, they'll likely forego having a regular platoon partner for Justin Bour at first base and instead have Realmuto spell him on occasion against tough lefties. The 25-year-old backstop is athletic enough to pick up the new defensive assignment and is coming off a career season in which he posted a .771 OPS, so it makes sense for the Marlins to find ways to keep his bat in the lineup. Realmuto played in 137 games and received 509 at-bats in 2016, though, so don't expect a big increase in his playing time, even with the added responsibility.

Gomes will remain the starting catcher ahead of Roberto Perez to open the 2017 campaign, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

In 2014, Gomes hit 21 homers with a .785 OPS and won the AL Silver Slugger award for backstops. He declined in 2015 and then the bottom fell out last season. Gomes hit .167/.201/.327 and his postseason playing time was usurped by Roberto Perez. After suffering a separated right shoulder that cost him more than two months in 2016, the 29-year-old says he feels 100 percent healthy entering this season. Cleveland has invested a lot in Gomes, who is signed through 2019 with team options for the '20 and '21 seasons, so they'll give the catcher plenty of leeway to find his stride in the upcoming campaign.

Hedges is projected to be the starting catcher for the Padres this season, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

With the club shipping Derek Norris to Washington, Hedges is next in line to start games behind the dish. He hasn't done much offensively in his two brief stints in the majors, slashing .161/.206/.236 in 178 plate appearances. That being said, batting .326/.353/.597 with 21 homers and 82 RBI with Triple-A El Paso last season shows that there is some potential in his bat at the major league level. Even is Hedges doesn't hit out of the gates, his defensive abilities should keep him in the lineup on a regular basis.

Leon enters spring training as Boston's starting catcher, according to manager John Farrell, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Farrell recognizes the breakout season Leon enjoyed in 2016, when he had an .845 OPS and seven homers, but it doesn't take an advanced degree in statistics to expect a massive correction for the catcher that had a career OPS of .483 prior to 2016. If Leon's bat resembles what we saw in September -- he hit .216/.280/.257/.537 during the month -- he'll lose the starting job to either Christian Vazquez or Blake Swihart.

Vazquez picked up an additional 122 at-bats in 37 games during winter league ball in the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico.

Vazquez caught several games a week in Puerto Rico, getting a chance to test his throwing arm, which underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2015. He reported not feeling the lingering discomfort he felt last season. The 26-year-old catcher is looking for a fresh start in 2017 after last season's odyssey of stops and starts that eventually led to an extended stay in Triple-A. He's out of options this season, which works in his favor as the Red Sox can stash Blake Swihart in the minors while Vazquez and Sandy Leon handle the major-league pitching staff. Of course, Vazquez's bat will be a factor. He worked on rehabilitating his swing late last season with hitting coach Rich Gedman and had an .805 OPS during the month of August, but that dropped to .653 during the regular season in Puerto Rico.

Bethancourt is targeting early March for his Cactus League pitching debut, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres have been working with the catcher on his pitching mechanics, and recently clocked his fastball at 97 mph during a Panama Winter League game. Although the Padres have been unclear about his role going forward, his powerful arm could see him in the bullpen more often than expected. Last year with the Padres, the 25-year-old pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in two games and slashed .228/.265/.368 in 204 plate appearances.

Sanchez announced Tuesday that he will not play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record reports.

Sanchez had been planning to play for the Dominican Republic but ultimately changed his mind. He wants a full spring with his teammates to prepare for the start of the regular season. His power pace from last season (20 homers in 229 plate appearances) is not sustainable, but he is arguably the Yankees' best hitter (171 wRC+) and it seems likely he will be in the three-hole four days a week at a minimum.

Perez spent most of January training with Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, on the mental aspects of catching, Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com reports.

Perez will compete with Yan Gomes for playing time in 2017. With the latter having dealt with lingering shoulder issues, strong defense could be Perez's path to more playing time. Perez has dealt with his own health problems though, as a broken thumb cost the 28-year-old nearly half the 2016 campaign. The battle for starting catcher duties will be one to monitor this spring, as the draft value of both Perez and Gomes is strongly tied to the fight. Barring injury, the most likely scenario is that the pair breaks camp in some sort of platoon, limiting both of their stocks to begin 2017.